Zero string follow secrets?

[MaceG]

Come on, guys, give 'em up.

[Pat B]

Mission Impossible!!!   

[Kegan]

Assuming the bow started out with a little reflex to be lost during tillering, the only bows I've had come out straight were ones that weren't overstressed. Of course, I did have a few that had a bunch of reflex come out almost straight, but they came in way under weight

[Josh]

Yeah, the only bows I have made with ZERO stringfollow (the count now is 2  )  were induced with around 2-3 inches of reflex after the floor tiller stage.  All the rest of my bows have around 1-1/2 to 2 inches of string follow which doesn't bother me one friggin bit.     -josh

[Dano]

There is really no secret, just start out with enough reflex to counteract the set, if you want a flat unstrung profile, easier said than done. You still have to do a good job tillering, not to stress one area too much, and the stave has to be dry, and kept dry. Set is inevitable. Every bow has string follow after it is unstrung.

[George Tsoukalas]

String follow is when the bow actually looks like it  is strung when it is not. Not  all bows may have string follow. All bows take set. If a  stave has 3 in of reflex and the bow ends up with 2 inches  then the bow has 2 inches of set and no string follow. I basically baby a bow to be. When long string tillering I don't pull more than 5# over final target weight.  I even check weight with the long string. When I get target weight at 10 in I string it up. That puts me at 10# over target weight. Once strung,  I never draw it to full target weight until I hit 1 inch less than my draw. Then at my draw I have sanding room. If I get less than 2 in of set I 'm happy. BTW set results from belly collapse. Set happens. Jawge

[Dano]

Jawge, I gotta argue with ya here. All bows have string follow after being unstrung, after some time to relax that follow will go away, but you can't expect a bow to bend and not get some string follow.  I don't like to confuse string follow with set.

[Kegan]

Jawge, I gotta argue with ya here. All bows have string follow after being unstrung, after some time to relax that follow will go away, but you can't expect a bow to bend and not get some string follow.  I don't like to confuse string follow with set.

I've had bows, even heavy weight ones jsut after a shooting session, unstring and stand straight- no string follow.

[Dano]

I guess I'm just old and set in my ways, oh yeah stuburn too.

[Justin Snyder]

Set: Permanent deflection of the limbs toward the archer, resulting from compression of belly wood beyond its elastic limit. Set and string follow are not the same..
String Follow: Where by set, design, or deflex in the stave, an unbraced bow’s tips rest some distance bellyward of the back. Usually the result of set.

The first step is knowing the difference between set and string follow. Keeping these straight in you head is the hardest part of the whole endeavour. With a little reflex to start it is possible to prevent string follow, but it is impossible to eliminate set.

Like mentioned before, tillering is huge. However, one of the biggest concerns is asking too little wood to do to much work.  Too short or too narrow and you will have a problem.  You will often hear about a minimum length safe for a bow design, but you cannot forget a minimum width. It is a fine balancing act.

[zeNBowyer]

"Set Happens" 
lol

[dragonman]

either glue in a reflex when you put the backing on or heat treat in a reflex

[Dano]

Justin, I read that deffinition in TBB IV too, but I don't buy it. Set is set, it doesn't make sense to me to call it two different names. To me string follow is a temporary thing after a bow is unstrung. Stuburn!!!

[radius]

string follow is a symptom of set, they are not different:  it's like a cough is a symptom of a cold.

You don't want set:  don't make bows.

[Justin Snyder]

Justin, I read that definition in TBB IV too, but I don't buy it. Set is set, it doesn't make sense to me to call it two different names. To me string follow is a temporary thing after a bow is unstrung. Stuburn!!!

I always thought they were backward when Baker defined it that way. It follows the string regardless, it doesn't always set behind a straight limb position.   But you and I are just a couple of nobodies so who are we to argue.   I do have to agree with you that set is set regardless of where the limb tips end up. However, you can still maintain a little reflex and have a little more string tension at brace which will deliver more energy to the bow.